


Learning to Fly

by leavemealoneinthemakebelieve



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Gen, M/M, My First AO3 Post, One Shot, to be continued not sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23586790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leavemealoneinthemakebelieve/pseuds/leavemealoneinthemakebelieve
Summary: Akihito isn't a fan of airplanes, but he wasn't complaining when he got bumped up to business class for free.And then he just couldn't help himself.He blames the fancy pearls lady across the aisle.
Relationships: Asami Ryuichi/Takaba Akihito
Comments: 13
Kudos: 157





	Learning to Fly

**Author's Note:**

> So I started this four years ago when I was on a kick in this fandom. And then decided to leave it be and never posted it.   
> I love this idea of a first meeting, though I won't try to explain how Asami is here. That's why it's fanfiction after all.   
> But quarantine has me thinking "why not?"   
> Open to any comments! Just be a decent person about it please.   
> Thanks for checking this out!  
> Stay safe and healthy :)

Takaba Akihito was luckier than most.

Loving parents, a good education, decent looks and opportunities to follow his life’s dreams. However, he was not necessarily rolling in the dough as a part time photographer.

He could not indulge himself, lest he drown in debt which would cost him his teeny-tiny apartment in Tokyo. Sayōnara, life dreams.

Of course, his father’s friend, and Akihito’s current employer, Mr. Hikaru Seijuuro, thought that his young pupil should really take up some classes on business and other areas of photography to expand his horizons. Akihito expected the older man, whose children had all taken up careers in healthcare, was really looking for some young blood to run his business.

Anyway, Akihito felt that Lady Fortune graced him with her presence this week.

It started with a trip to his parents, which, regrettably, was paid for by them, as Akihito was not currently in a position to do so. Especially for a round trip, as Hikaru-senpai requested his employee not be gone for too long. The month of March brought many occasions for which the general populace wanted their memories photographed. Since it was only for a small family event on the weekend (his cousin Yuki’s graduation), a plane was booked. The flight en route to his hometown was perfectly normal. Cheapest seat on the death trap- Akihito hated being in the air, as he tended to like his feet on the ground tearing up the asphalt.

Overall, the visit was pleasant and Akihito was glad to have come home to his family. Other than his friends, Kou, Takato, and Hikaru-senpai, he did not have others he could trust in Tokyo. His mother wanted to him to get a girlfriend – his father easily joked that maybe even a boyfriend- but their son was rather unconcerned in settling down and had not found anyone whom caught his fancy. Not that he could convince that to his family.

The fact that Akihito had a Sunday evening flight to Tokyo was a blessing. As respective passengers steadily boarded, a brewing storm of a mother interrupted the quiet hustle and bustle.

“I will not tolerate a hooligan sitting next to my daughter! I specially booked to have our seats side by side.” Aforementioned hooligan groaned, avoiding the severe woman’s gaze. He had the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Take it easy. I’m not trying to cause any trouble, alright? My ticket says that this is my seat. And trust me; I have no interest in your twelve year old kid.”

A petite girl, sitting by the window, turned her head and scrunched up her nose, flipping artificially colored hair over her shoulder. “I’m sixteen,” she stated with a huff.

Akihito grimaced and put his hands up, as if that could be a defense against two women scorned. “What seat is assigned on your ticket?” He asked the mother politely, for the second time that evening. “I’ll just go sit in the spot meant for you.”

The woman gasped. “How dare you! This is my seat.”

“Right,” he huffed. “And I’m the emperor.”

A clear voice cut into the conservation. “Is there a problem here? Please take your seats so that we may prepare for take-off.”

Poor Akihito wanted to explain, but was pushed aside by the round, little woman, who could probably take down a club bouncer at her worst. She smiled up at them from seat D30, the letter and number pair printed on the young man’s ticket. The last available seat in the economy class.

Perhaps Lady Luck simply decided it would be amusing to pull Akihito’s leg.

“Sir?”

The golden-haired boy turned to the flight attendant, taking in her petite features and pristine uniform. He scratched the back of his head with a cheeky nervous smile. “Hano, is, um, this plane full?”

She leveled him a blank look and glanced impatiently down at her wrist watch. He suddenly wished he could fly. Never would he step on another flying machine again.

“There are open seats in the business class. We will just put you in the seat free of charge- just be mindful of the other passengers. They are valued customers.” An objection was on his tongue- the ripped jeans were really giving people the wrong idea. Under the flight attendant’s gaze, he scoffed under his breath instead. As if those ritzy folks were a higher form of human being than him.

He found himself being spun around and pushed forward abruptly. Keeping his eyes forward, he could not help but wonder what women were eating nowadays. Surely he wasn’t that thin. Come to think of it, he had no food in his fridge to snack on when he got back to his apartment. Perhaps Akihito was doing something wrong.

Making his way back up to the front of the metal beast, the larger seats of the first class section came into view. He almost wanted to whistle.

Instead of the usual adjacent two seats per row in economy, this section had only one seat per side within three rows, allowing for greater leg room and no chance of bumping elbows or leaning a sleeping head onto a stranger’s shoulder. Even the cushioning of the seat was a finer quality and Akihito smiled at that thought of a nap. Maybe this whole plane thing wasn’t so bad. When would he get another chance to live a little (ok more than a little) above his normal pay grade, even if it was only for about an hour?

His previous anxiety melted as soon as he lounged into the plush seat of the left side, second row. Not even the snotty woman across the aisle, better dressed than the seat thief of economy class but similar in her scoff of distaste, could dampen his mood. He felt like a child at Christmas as he discovered a wooden tray table and fluffy pillow. The other passengers had wines, and snacks that came in bowls rather than plastic and water in an actual glass.

Kami, he had to check what the cost difference for flights was tomorrow. The childish excitement returned to his blue eyes as he discovered the small TV screen that popped out from the tray table.

And these people got this stuff for every flight? The notion set his mind ablaze with fantasies of the luxuries of international flights. Were there beds that felt like sleeping on clouds? All you can eat buffets with high class sushi and foreign sweet delicacies?

The man who feared flying was oblivious to take-off.

As the plane cruised at an unimaginable height, Akihito attempted the mechanics to recline his chair. He had watched a younger man with fancy pants do it and gathered this would be more comfortable to lounge. His luck, however, meant the little button seemed to be jammed and even with all his might, the young man could not get the seat to move. After his fiftieth try, he crossed his arms over his chest with a pout. He put on a farce of doe eyes, glancing to the older woman. Sitting with one leg crossed over the over in elegance, she rolled her eyes at what must have been utter idiocy in her mind.

He had the most childish urge to stick his tongue out. With a final huff, he put his feet onto the mid back of the chair in front of him and pushed into his own seat, not giving a rat’s ass about how juvenile this appeared.

His earlier goal had finally been accomplished.

He was lounging, alright. Reclined the back of his chair.

All the way into the man’s lap behind him.

Fancy pearls across from Akihito gasped loud enough that it could have been a small shriek. Akihito’s body froze, even as his cheeks burned like a fever over a hundred degrees. He gulped and chanced a peek at the other passenger’s face.

His eyes met irises of golden amber. A dark, thick brow- of the most sophisticated pair of eyebrows he had ever seen- was arched in amusement. The smirk on the incredibly handsome face of the stranger was at odds with Akihito’s idea that he was to be strangled and tossed out the plane. Perhaps he was one of those types; the man didn’t wear a wedding band. This might be an invigorating experience, what with a young man indirectly on his lap.

“Sir! Please lift your chair up this instant! Asami-sama, I deeply apologize for such a disturbance-”

A deep chuckle stopped the attendant short and the sound caused a pleasant set of goose bumps down Akihito’s back. His finger curled around the button to boost his seat to its original position. “No apologies necessary. I’m sure the young man didn’t mean any trouble by it.”

Damn. Guess a guy with a jawline like that required such a baritone sound.

Tuning out the rest of the conservation, he wanted to pout again. What did one need to do to be gifted with such testosterone levels? Save the whales?

The flight attendant passed him with a nasty glare. He could feel a knot in his stomach, gulping at the thought of what his mother would think. A soft sigh fell from his mouth as he dropped his shoulders forward. The younger turned around in his seat, peeking his head out to glance at the older male. The smirk reappeared as their eyes met.

Akihito gulped, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. “Hano…I-uh…apologize for the unintentional violation of your personal space.” His eyes stayed put on the warm path lights of the floor.

“I assume you’re new to flying?”

Another nervous laugh. “You could say that. And probably my first and last time in first class.” He ran his hand into his hair, feeling sheepish and finding it difficult to meet the businessman’s- the suit was a dead ringer for CEO- intense gaze. The stranger’s smirk seemed to widen as he leaned forward in his seat. Akihito felt his cheeks flush and blurted, “But it sure will be a memory not to be forgotten. At least for you. It’ll be a laugh for all your peacocked friends at some expensive dinner party.”

He blinked, conscious of his brutal assumptions. Usually he considered himself brave and unapologetic but now had the strongest desire to turn around in his seat rather than face any retaliation.

“Unfortunately, I find that my social circle would cringe at such a tale. They would sour the memory if anything.” The man watched on, never once breaking their gaze. Akihito decided he would take up the silent challenge set before him.

He did not look away with his response, “You need to find better friends.”

“Perhaps the gods have just placed one before me.” The man’s hand reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and revealed a black business card. Before it reached Akihito’s fingers, he said, “Asami Ryuichi.”

And sure enough, the fine lettering of the card revealed the same. Akihito forgoes noticing the other letters and numbers, instead returning to those eyes.

“Takaba Akihito.”

“A pleasure,” Asami paused, moving closer still, until the younger man could have heard the whisper in his ear, “Akihito.”


End file.
